The South Korean government is considering building an "embassy district" in Sejong, aiming to encourage foreign missions concentrated in Seoul to relocate ahead of the Foreign Ministry's planned move to the administrative capital in 2031.
A government source said on the 18th that authorities are "reviewing options including the creation of an embassy complex in Sejong" in connection with the ministry's relocation, adding that "it will be decided through consultations with the Foreign Ministry." Under a second phase of central government relocation plans announced on Oct. 13, the Foreign Ministry is scheduled to move to Sejong around 2031, following a revision of the special law on the administrative capital and construction of a new building.
All 118 foreign diplomatic missions in South Korea, excluding 11 consulates general in cities such as Busan and on Jeju Island, are currently located in Seoul. A diplomat from a major country said that "if the Foreign Ministry moves down to Sejong, embassies will have no choice but to follow."
Officials read the plan as an attempt to create a diplomatic enclave modeled on overseas precedents. Australia, for example, built a diplomatic district in the Yarralumla area when it moved its capital from Melbourne to Canberra, offering sites within the district to foreign governments on 99-year leases. The resulting embassy row sits next to Australia's Parliament House and its foreign affairs and trade department, an arrangement widely seen as enabling more efficient communication. The case fits the stated purpose of relocating public institutions: strengthening policy coordination and collaboration around Sejong.
Concerns remain, however, that countries with long histories in Seoul and buildings of symbolic value may balk at moving their embassies. An official at another major country's embassy said the problem is that "it is not just the embassy but also the residences of the ambassador and deputy chief of mission that would have to move." The U.S. ambassador's residence in Seoul's Jeongdong, for instance, has served as a U.S. legation and consulate since 1882. Giving up a building with more than a century of history to move into a new structure in Sejong could itself be a loss. The same applies to other countries' ambassadorial residences, most of them in affluent Seoul neighborhoods such as Seongbuk-dong and Hannam-dong.
Instead, the government hopes a new symbolism can take shape in a Sejong embassy complex. The diplomatic district in Canberra's Yarralumla is considered a showcase of traditional architecture from around the world. The U.S. Embassy there is built in a Georgian style evoking a brick version of the White House, using locally produced red brick and other materials to harmonize with its surroundings. The Chinese Embassy is known for Chinese-style roof tiles laid by artisans brought in from China, and the Indonesian Embassy for a Javanese-style pendopo, or pavilion. The buildings are distinctive enough that tour routes through the diplomatic district have been created for visitors.
Diplomatic observers expect that even if embassies relocate to Sejong, they will keep consulates or other offices in Seoul, given that more than half of the foreign residents in South Korea are concentrated in the greater Seoul area.